Chicken breasts are one of the most consumed meats in the world. They are versatile, delicious, healthy, and very nutritious so, a great ally for those looking for better eating habits. Sometimes it is not easy to find smaller portions of it to buy. You end up with more chicken breasts than you can eat. So freezing it is a great solution.
By freezing the chicken breasts. You will increase its shelf-life for many more months. But there are some precautions you should take before buying and freezing it. To make sure that the chicken breasts will still be good to be consumed after.
The best way to preserve your chicken breasts is by freezing them raw. But do you know for how long can you freeze chicken breast? We will explore it in this article and give you all the best tips.
Precautions to take before freezing the chicken breasts
When purchasing the chicken breasts there are some precautions you should take in consideration. To make sure that the meat if safe to be consumed.
The first one is to only buy chicken with the with the tags from the government. That means that those chickens were inspected and are totally safe to be bought. Also, take a good look at the package to see if it is violated and if there are the dates indicating what is the last day that the chicken can be consumed.
The second one is a recommendation to always inspect the chicken breasts for any different or odd characteristic. If the odor is too weird or strong, if the color is to gray or darker than it should be or if there are nay weird textures in the chicken.
If you open the package and notice that something is out of place or does not feel right do not consume the chicken breasts. The third recommendation is to clean everything that will have contact with the raw chicken. All the surfaces and tools must be washed and completely clean, like knifes, cutting boards, etc. Chicken r will transfer the salmonella to those surfaces that can come in contact with other foods and contaminate them.
But for how long can you freeze chicken breasts?
The best way to freeze chicken breasts is by freezing them raw. You should be careful with that because raw chicken not handed properly can cause salmonella poisoning and that is a serious thing.
After you purchased the raw fresh chicken breasts. They can be stored in the refrigerator for two days in its original package. They will be good to be consumed.
But, if you are not going to consume the chicken breasts within the two days period. They can be stored in freezer in its original package. It is very simple and easy to do it. Since the package it comes with is already appropriated to be frozen.
By freezing in the original package like this the chicken breasts will last for around two months.
But, if two months is also not enough for you, this period can be increased. All you have to do is double wrap the chicken breasts original package with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Leaving all the air out of it.
With the double wrap, the chicken breasts will last for 6 months.
Even though the original package comes with an expiration date. It is good to write down the date you froze so you can track down the time the chicken has been in the freezer. If the original package from the chicken breasts comes with a portion to big for you. You will need to freeze in separated smaller portions to make it easier to defrost and use later, it is not a problem. Just be extra careful when putting the chickens in another package and squeeze all the air out.
How do defrost chicken breasts
The defrosting process is also very simple and can be done easily.
The most recommended and safer method to defrost the chicken breasts is to let them sit overnight in the refrigerator and use it after the portion is completely defrosted. This way you can easily season you chicken before cooking it.
But, if you do not have the time, the chicken breasts can be added in the oven straight from the pan in any recipe that requires it. You will only need to make sure that the seasoning are going to work well in the chicken breasts and adjust the recipe oven time in a few more minutes, this way you will guarantee that the chicken got defrosted and cooked.
Do not let the chicken breasts defrosting in room temperature and in contact with the oxygen. They are a sensible type of meat and should be handled with care, and this also includes an extra care with everything that will come in contact with the raw chicken breasts not to transfer the salmonella to other foods.
Conclusion
It is totally safe to freeze and defrost chicken breasts to increase their shelf life by months.
The process is very simple and by freezing them in their original package the chickens can be frozen for two months without a problem.
But, if you need them to last even longer than that, by adding a double wrapping on it the chicken breasts will last for 6 months in your freezer.
Handling raw chicken breasts requires a lot of cares to avoid the salmonella food poisoning, that can even be transferred to other foods or ingredients just by the touch.
Also, make sure the chicken breasts are completely cooked before eating them. Do not consume chicken raw or cook just part of it to freeze and consume later, this will increase the chances of bacteria growth and cause food poisoning.
We hope this article had helped you in finding out for how long can you freeze chicken breasts and what are the best ways to do it safely.
